THE Y.M.C.A. AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2610, 4 November 1915, Page 4

THE Y.M.C.A. AND THE WAR

IN-THE FIRING LINE AN INTERESTING LETTER' r - ai 'ney, general secretary of iho i.M.G.A., has received the following letter from Mr. Jessop, Y.M.O.A. secretary in Cairo:— "I have just returned, from t-lio Dardanelles. I left Alexandria, 011 the 7th, and arrived at Mudros' two days later. w ?f. three days before I could get permission to move forward, but 011 Thursday, t'lio 12th, I got all my goods transferred to a trawler, and .after about 6ix hours sailing arrived at Kophalos. 1 was fortuuate in finding the Camp Commandant, Colonel Hawker, at the landing pier, and lie made mo very welcome, ordered my goods to be taken tothocamp, and introduced me to the officers' mess. I saw him again next morning, and on his advice paid a visit to the capital of the island —Panaghia— to see about procuring supplies, etc. This was rather a rough journey of two hours on liorseback. I found prices abnormally high and very limited in both quantity and variety, and altogether boyond our reach for canteen purposes. That evening I dined witli Colonel Hawker, and we talked over the situation, ho agreeing to provide nie at once witli a small marquee and give me a site in a very central part of the camp. Wo together worded a telegram which we sent off to Cairo with ■instructions for Owens, one of the Australian secretaries, to . get marquee, piano, timber for benches, and supplies as quickly as possible, and leave bv the ■first available boat. He also wirod the military authorities to facilitate Owens's movements, . and render him every assistance possible in getting his supplies forward.

"The next morning, Saturday, saw our small marquee erected, and with several tables and- , benches hastily knocked together by some Australian friends, ire opened up for business that afternoon; It was almost pathetic to see the eagerness with' which the men viewed our preparations, and the way they came_ about the tent. I had brought with me several cases of tobacco, cigarettes, and chocolate for diV tribution among the wounded and sick, and as most of the men alxmt belonged to that class, I had a busy time distributing these 'comforts.' All day Sunday I was busy giving out stationery, pocket Testaments, 'magazines, etc., etc., and in the evening we had a service outside the tent which was well attended, and apparently appreciated. Chi Monday, I got hold, of a Greek bakor, who agreed to erect an oven and run a canteen under our direction'. I arranged to see him again on ihe Wednesday, wheal a- definite arrangement would be entered into, and sent him off to seo about supplies. Visit to Cape-Helas.

"On Tuesday, I left early in the morning for Cape Helas, where I' arrived' about 9 o'clock. With the principal chaplain I called upon , the Camp Commandant, and he agreed to our establishing a centre within his sphere of influence, providing that a. space :could be found us free froni shrapnel firo of tho cnem.v. While we were discussing the possible situation, Ihe firo from Achi Baba began, shells were falling about the beach and in tho harbour, and I was compelled to admit that no place, so far as I conld 6ee, would be out of range of !the Turkish guns. However, I told him that wo were quite prepared to go where the mon had to go, and would run the risk if we wore allowed to establish ourselves at any point where the men would be permitted to visit us. Only a very small hut can be ejected, of course, but it will let the men see that the Y.M.C.A. is standing with them, and doing' its best to servo thorn in these unusual conditions.

His Last Sovereign. "I visited the trenches where tho 10th Manchesters, the uth East Lancaand the Lancashire Fusiliers, tho Scottish Borderers, and several other regiments;are. Many of tho East Lancashire Division recognised me and called out asking if I had brought the Y.M.C.A. with me. I left a large supply of stationery, magazines, cigarettes, and tobacco for them. with several of the chaplains, and some of it I distributed myself, and the men were very grateful, I can assure you. I looked up two batteries of Australian A'rtilliery that I had been told about, and tool: with me several pounds of Havelock tobacco and some pipes. To tho first of these men I came across I held up a tin of tobacco and asked if it was a friend of his (Havelock is an Australian tobacco, and very popular with the colonials). His eyes glistened, and then he said, 'It is all I have,' holding up a sovereign, 'but if you give me a pipe with it, I will be glad to exchange, for I have not had a smoke for three weeks.' When I told him that the tobacco and pipe were his for nothing, ho was greatly touched. I went around' to about sixty of these men and made similar gifts. I had many very interesting experiences, dodging the shells and the like, which are incident to lifo on the Peninsula, and in the late evening took trawler back to Kephalos.' "Next day I saw my Greek friend, and with the approval of the camp authorities, arranged that lie should at once proceed to erect a kitchen, build a bakery, and I sent him to buy dishes and cooking utensils. I also secured a member of the Military Police is orderly for tho tent, and ho moved his things to it, and proved a very valuable assistant.: At Suvla Bay. "The nest morning I started on tho early morning trawler for Suvla Bay, where tho new landing recently took place, and from there-went to"Anzao at the invitation of General Godley, the G.O.G'. of tho Australian and New Zealand Division.: To describe conditions at this place_ is beyond my time and pen. Suffice it to say that 110 part of the beach and only dug-outs on tho hill-side are free from snipers' bullets and slioll fire. _ I had several eases of supplies for this camp, and distributed them among the men. and through tlio chaplains, and instead of the twelvo cases which I. had brought with me, I could easily have distributed twelve thousand. Oil Saturday, the 21st, and , Sunday, the 22nd, I witnessed the attack on Hill W rind the capture of the Susak Wells. It was a sight I shall never forget. The havoc caused by the enemy's shrapnel was terrible, and the lines of wounded that soon began to come in was a most pitiful spectacle. I got tho consent from General Godley and General Carruthers to establish a small centre in one of the gulloys at Anzao just as soon as we can get the material and tho man to put in charge. "I returned to Kephalos on Sunday evening, on Wednesday returned to Mudros, where I met Owens with his supplies on his way to Kephalos. He had been held up' several days by the authorities, but wo were able tq arrange matters so that he would go forward that afternoon. > On tho 26th I sailed for Alexandria, where I arrived on the afternoon of tho 30th. I at once camo on to Cairo, and liavo been quite busy since. To-morrow, I go to Port Said, and on Saturday must be in Alexandria again. Military Camp at Mudros. "I forgot to tell you that the military authorities at Mudros aro most anxious that we open up ihere immediately. They offer _ us ■ every assistance and the best jtto .til tho military comp, and .tea( ior. ,wh»L-

o\er \vg have erccted ready for us. Tliey. are making preparations thero for a hospital of 12,000 beds, 1 .and large recreation and concentration camps. !Jie weather is very severe during the winter, and I am told that it will be necessary for us to erect wooden islieds u wo aro in any way to. copo.with the if colK^i°nf >* With timber very (tiinoiilD to get, and very expensive, it is to be .a- very serious consideration, and one that we must meet in some way. We have permission to start a canteen at this place, and.l have already jjok the promise of an Aldershot o\-en for our use. Wo need at oncc lor the Dardanelles work two cinemas and a largo supply of films, Severn! phonographs, two magic lanterns, with a good, selection of slides accompanied by written, lectures, and it will be almost necessary that we have a motor-boat, although it is just possible- that wo make some arrangement with theHod Cross for the use of their steam launches, but at present there is 110 means' of getting about the bay from shore to-shoro, or.from ship to ship, only as one can witli great difficulty make arrangements with the naval or military authorities. As soon as the marquee arrives, Thompson is prepared to start with it at once for Mudros, where I feel sure he will render an excellent account of. himself.

Very Costly Work. "You oan easily see from this brief account that work iu the Dardanelles is going to be very costly, and that wo snail need a great deal of money to finance it. Tho £250 sent by Sydney and tile £100 by New Zealand came at a most opportune time, for Mr. Owens took a largo quantity of supplies of evory kind, not only for tent but for canteen, and everything is very, oostly in Cairo now. •The need of Y.M.C.A. work at Kephalos, Lemnos, Helas, and Anzae is very Croat.. The men who are fighting for the Empire hare nothing thero in the way of comforts and no means of getting them except by paying two or three Cairo prices. _ They are giving their lives and their health in such a way as no one can possibly realise who has not seen thorn mowed down by machinegun fire like grain before a sickle. I am sure that the generous hearted Australians and New Zealandors will give liberally that their "hoys may have a Y.M.C.A. homo as uenr tho firing, line as it.is possible to get." Rose Carnival to Help. For the purposes of assisting ibis work iu the firing line, as well as tho other Y.M.C.A. activities in Egypt and at the Homo base, a great Boss Carnival is boinc arranged for Friday and Saturday,. November 12 and 13. The Red Cross Society, witli which the Y.M.C.A. co-operates ,tlie world over; the Victoria League, the Spinsters' Club, the Y.W.C.A., tho Y.M.C.A. Ladies' Auxiliary, and others, , are co-op-erating in the effort. Gifts of flowers or home-made sweets will. be much appreciated. 'Mr. Varnoy will be pleased to hear from' all willing to render ■ assistance.